OFFSHORE TEXAS HAS THIRD OIL SPILL OF SUMMER

Aug. 20, 1990
Another sizable oil spill has occurred off Texas, less than 48 hr after cleanup of last month's spill in Galveston Bay was complete. A barge that buckled and ruptured during loading at Lyondell Petrochemical Co.'s dock spilled about 500 bbl of No. 6 fuel oil into the Houston Ship Channel. Environmental damage was minimal, and cleanup was expected to be complete at the end of last week.

Another sizable oil spill has occurred off Texas, less than 48 hr after cleanup of last month's spill in Galveston Bay was complete.

A barge that buckled and ruptured during loading at Lyondell Petrochemical Co.'s dock spilled about 500 bbl of No. 6 fuel oil into the Houston Ship Channel. Environmental damage was minimal, and cleanup was expected to be complete at the end of last week.

Meantime, the U.S. Coast Guard halted cleanup of cat cracker feedstock spilled July 28 when the Greek flagged Shinoussa tanker rammed two of three Apex Towing Co. barges in the ship channel (OGJ, Aug. 6, p. 27).

Last week's accident was the third sizable oil spill involving oil tankers or barges off Texas in as many months.

On June 8, the Norwegian Mega Borg tanker exploded and burned, spilling about 115,000 bbl of Angolan crude-most of which burned-in the Gulf of Mexico, 57 miles off Galveston, Tex. (OGJ, June 18, p. 13).

LATEST SPILL

Crews working at the Lyondell dock early Aug. 12 alerted officials that the 295 ft double hulled SFI-33 barge owned by Ingram Barge Co., Nashville, buckled and split open as they were loading a shipment of No. 6 fuel oil.

Coast Guard officials said a more serious spill was averted because most of the leaking oil was trapped by the outer hull.

Most of the spilled oil that reached water sank to the seafloor. Divers last week were retrieving the heavy fuel oil-2 ft thick in some places-with submersible pumps and suction leads.

The Coast Guard charged a tankerman involved in the loading, an employee of Petroleum Tankering & Operating Service, with improper loading. Coast Guard officials said the tankerman loaded too much cargo into the barge's two center tanks, causing it to buckle and split on port and starboard sides.

About 15,000 bbl had been loaded aboard the barge at the time of the accident. Its capacity is 20,000 bbl.

Lyondell employees deployed containment booms less than 30 min after the 10:10 a.m. spill. Secondary booms were placed about 2 hr later by a contractor.

By late afternoon Aug. 12, another barge had begun transferring remaining oil from the stricken barge. Transfer had been complete by early the morning of Aug. 14.

Wind helped contain the oil to the accident site's immediate area-a heavily industrialized area that is not a significant wildlife habitat.

CLEANUP HALTED

The Coast Guard halted cleanup Aug. 10 of the Shinoussa/barge spill after collecting 9,500-10,000 bbl of oil-water emulsion.

Almost all shoreline from Cedar Point on the southern side of Galveston Bay to Point Barrow in Trinity Bay was struck by the spill.

The accident closed the ship channel to full traffic until Aug. 10. Salvors cut up and towed away one of the two double hulled barges damaged in the collision. It had been partly submerged and leaked most of the oil in the incident. The second barge spilled a small volume but didn't sink. Its cargo was lightered by July 29, and it was towed away.

The Environmental Protection Agency is monitoring two test and two control plots in a bioremediation test related to the July spill.

State officials last month received permission from EPA to apply microbes to the most environmentally sensitive areas affected by the spill.

Blanton Moore of the Texas General Land Office said bioremediation was the only way of mitigating pollution damage in those areas.

He estimated a 10-15 mile strip of Morrow Marsh shoreline was treated the first week of August. About 100 yd of Pelican Island shoreline also was treated.

Copyright 1990 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.